But the United States — as the world’s largest economy — has the largest contribution on deposit with the IMF. As of April 2011, it totaled nearly $64 billion. The United States separately provided the IMF with a more than $100 billion line of credit following a 2009 international agreement.

In the case of Strauss-Kahn, McMorris Rodgers questioned whether the IMF had more leeway than it was letting on.

“Many companies can deny severance pay to any executive fired ‘for cause.’ That is not happening in the IMF’s case. It’s becoming more and more clear that the ‘culture of entitlement’ that is demonstrated by Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lifestyle set a tone for the organization as a whole,” she said.

Strauss-Kahn’s lavish pay and benefits were established in a 2007 agreement. Under the agreement, his pay was set at about $421,000 and he was guaranteed another $75,000-a-year “allowance,” so he could maintain “a scale of living appropriate to your position” — both have since been adjusted annually for inflation. Strauss-Kahn was to be granted the allowance without having to provide “any certification or justification” for how the money was spent.